Alfonso Siano

La comunicazione per la sostenibilità nel management delle imprese

Obiettivo del paper : La corporate sustainability si va affermando come nuovo paradigma di business. Partendo da questo presupposto, lo studio intende analizzare il ruolo della comunicazione nel management dell’impresa sostenibile. Metodologia : Dopo aver chiarito il rapporto esistente tra Corporate Sustainability e Corporate Social Responsibility, lo studio prende in considerazione alcuni concetti chiave (corporate reputation e reputational risk) derivati dalla literature review ed esplorati in recenti indagini presso la business community, per individuare il ruolo della comunicazione nell’impresa sostenibile. Risultati : Lo studio individua le funzioni base della comunicazione operativa dell’organizzazione sustainability-oriented ed evidenzia il ruolo strategico della comunicazione nell’ambito della coalizione dominante di questo tipo di organizzazione. Limiti della ricerca : Trattandosi di un conceptual paper, esso presenta i tipici limiti dell’approccio deduttivo literature-based. Implicazioni pratiche : Il paper evidenzia le implicazioni manageriali delle decisioni e delle attivita di corporate communication, a livello strategico e operativo, nell’organizzazione sustainability-oriented. Originalita del lavoro : Rappresenta il primo studio in letteratura che affronta il tema del ruolo strategico e operativo della comunicazione nell’impresa sostenibile. Il paper tratta la corporate communication da una prospettiva manageriale, come disciplina autonoma di management. Parole chiave: sostenibilita d’impresa; comunicazione d’impresa; comunicazione strategica; reputazione aziendale; rischio reputazionale

Financial resources and corporate reputation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify convergent elements between corporate reputation and financial resources. The paper seeks to draw parallels between corporate reputation management and corporate financial management in order to define common management principles.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the analogy‐based approach is used to identify similarities in the functions and risks between corporate reputation and financial resources. This approach is the prerequisite for defining common management principles.Findings – The paper proposes some arguments in favour of common functions and risks thesis of corporate reputation and financial resources. The finding of common functions and risks opens the way for an analysis of common principles in corporate reputation management and corporate finance management.Research limitations/implications – Cross‐fertilization between corporate communication and reputation and corporate finance can encourage effective evolution over time of th...

Il processo di management della corporate communication: un framework *

Obiettivi del paper : Il paper intende colmare un gap in letteratura, individuando un framework che integri le attivita e le decisioni di corporate communication, a livello di management strategico e di management operativo. Metodologia : La costruzione del framework e basata su concetti chiave derivati dalla literature review, in una prospettiva interdisciplinare. Dalla Resource-Based View vengono attinti i requisiti di rarita, durevolezza, imperfetta imitabilita e non perfetta sostituibilita, per caratterizzare in senso firm-specific le risorse di corporate identity. Dalla Sociologia delle Organizzazioni viene ereditata la tassonomia delle categorie decisionali parsonsiane (decisioni policy, allocative e di coordinamento), per delineare l’architettura delle decisioni strategiche e operative di comunicazione. Risultati : Il framework proposto pone in luce il ruolo strategico delle attivita di comunicazione nell’ambito della coalizione dominante, ai fini del governo delle organizzazioni complesse. Parallelamente, si focalizza sulla strategia di comunicazione e sulle decisioni di creazione, innovazione e utilizzo delle risorse di comunicazione. Limiti della ricerca : Trattandosi di un conceptual paper, esso presenta i tipici limiti dell’approccio deduttivo literature-based. Implicazioni pratiche: Il framework proposto offre al Chief Communication Officer un’utile guida circa le attivita e le decisioni di corporate communication, a livello sia di management strategico sia di management operativo. Originalita del lavoro : Il framework integra, per la prima volta in letteratura, le attivita e le decisioni strategiche e operative di corporate communication. Il modello prende in considerazione il ruolo proattivo degli stakeholder nella creazione e/o innovazione di risorse di corporate identity. Lo studio contribuisce al dibattito sulla connotazione manageriale della disciplina di corporate communication. Parole chiave: governo e gestione della comunicazione d’impresa; comunicazione strategica; strategia di comunicazione; risorse di comunicazione.

Destination competitiveness and museum marketing strategies: an emerging issue in the Italian context

Abstract The aim of this paper is to inform the development of effective marketing strategies for provincial Italian museums. Being long-standing organisations, the characteristics of museums are deeply rooted within the context where they are located. As such, they must reflect an awareness of the location in which they are situated. With this in mind, we investigated the multifaceted nature of major Italian museums, located in a range of different provinces that had different degrees of competitiveness. We explain these variations in competitiveness by means of a descriptive analysis, in which we report on the most popular Italian museums and the levels of competitiveness in the province in which each museum is located. It is possible to categorise the most popular Italian museums in terms of those that are extreme outliers and those that fall into clusters. The differences in the number of visitors and the levels of competitiveness in the Italian provinces where the museums are located indicate that specific marketing strategies are warranted for the museums investigated, as determined by whether they are extreme outliers or part of a cluster. Marketing strategies for museums that are based on an analysis of the number of visitors and the degree of competitiveness of the province concerned have not been previously investigated. By using a novel approach of this kind, we present a preliminary attempt to develop strategies that are appropriate to the Italian context.

Corporate social responsibility: engaging the community

Purpose This paper aims to extend corporate social responsibility (CSR) theory by exploring how firms engage with community. The community is frequently cited as a stakeholder of the firm, but in spite of its status in networks it has not been the focus of research. Drawing on community theory and Carroll’s pyramid for the foundation of this study, the authors undertake an empirical investigation to advance knowledge in CSR engagement with a particular stakeholder group. Design/methodology/approach To generate an in-depth insight, the study adopts a multiple case study approach involving the purposeful selection of three retail banks in Ghana as units of analysis. It draws on multiple data sources to strengthen its findings. Findings The study finds that community engagement consists of four spheres of activity: donations, employee voluntarism, projects and partnerships. Philanthropy forms part of largely ad hoc CSR actions by firms. The study also finds that philanthropy is not merely a desired function of the CSR pyramid but an essential one. Practical implications This research imparts increased understanding of how firms engage with an important but frequently overlooked stakeholder group – community. Originality/value This study presents specific theoretical extensions to CSR through its identification of four core activities of community engagement.

Il marketing e la comunicazione nelle piccole e medie imprese: uno studio comparativo tra imprese italiane ed inglesi

Sebbene esista una ricchissima letteratura sulle piccole e medie imprese (PMI), pochi sono gli studi riguardanti gli aspetti di marketing e comunicazione di tale tipologia di imprese. Inoltre, quasi tutti questi contributi sono di natura teorica e concordi nel ritenere le PMI caratterizzate da una gestione del marketing mix quasi inesistente. Partendo da queste considerazioni iniziali, il presente paper intende: 1) contribuire ad arricchire la letteratura in materia con una ricerca cross-country Italia-Inghilterra; 2) evidenziare un’inversione di tendenza in atto. Da una visione d’insieme, infatti, emerge che le PMI intervistate, rispetto al passato, tendono ad utilizzare un piu ampio spettro di attivita di marketing e comunicazione, investendo molto di piu in tale ambito. Tali attivita risultano essere entrate nelle routine aziendali, con una crescente predisposizione agli investimenti nei riguardi dei new media e di internet. Esistono, comunque, delle differenziazioni evidenziate nella ricerca che riguardano i due campioni di imprese. A differenza dei precedenti studi, il paper si avvale di un’analisi comparativa tra imprese di nazionalita diversa e pertanto rappresenta una novita rispetto al passato e alle tradizionali metodologie adottate in precedenti studi in materia.

Comunicazione per la trasparenza e valori guida

The importance of clear communication, which is a necessary prerequisite of the existence and success of any firm, makes the question of the transparency essential. In this context “transparency” means that the audience must be able to understand the true identity of the firm. This identity is represented by the company’s processes. They are by nature intangible and invisible from an external point of view, therefore cannot be translated into a formal language and communicated to the audience. Moreover, the ambiguity caused by the tacit knowledge and the social complexity means that these processes can be communicated in an effective way only if they can be recalled in the minds of the audience. Therefore, some specific indicators represented by guide values are needed. A deductive approach is cited to show that the function of internal and external guidance, performed by the codified guide values, and the commitment of the company culture can successfully contribute to the transparency of the institutional communication, especially in the firms whose history reinforces their values throughout the time. Finally, the study focuses on the link between the kind of change (incremental or radical) of the guide values and the impact on the perception (immediate or delayed) of the transparency.

Rubbish emergency impact on in-bound tourism demand and on the number of visitors to museums.

Purpose – This study aims to assess whether or not the weight of the impact of the recent rubbish emergency in the Province of Naples (Italy) causes a temporary impact inbound tourism demand and the number of visitors to museums situated in the Province.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on secondary data referring to monthly tourist arrivals and visitors to museums to the Province of Naples, during the period in which crisis reached its climax. The variation of tourist arrivals and visitors to museums between this period and the same period of the previous four years represents the means for detecting an eventual decrease in inbound tourism demand and visitors to museums.Findings – Research findings show the variation in the number of tourists and in the number of visitors to museums in the Province from 2004 to 2008. Despite the pessimistic estimates reported by media, the situation in the Province of Naples, during the period in which the refuse emergency reached a climax, is quite sur...

Managing CSR communication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how service and product-based industries communicate their efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR) as legitimacy-seeking strategies. The service companies are thus compared to product companies in their use of different rhetorical strategies and associated legitimacy approaches on their corporate websites. Design/methodology/approach A thematic content analysis of the websites of companies belonging to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index was conducted, to identify different rhetorical strategies (institutional, political and strategic), each associated with modes companies use to gain legitimacy (cognitive, moral and pragmatic). Findings The study shows that service and product companies differ in terms of how they symbolically manage legitimacy. Service companies are less active in communicating CSR in two out of three of the identified rhetorical strategies. Other differences are observable at an industry level. Practical implications The study provides an in-depth understanding of legitimacy approaches elicited by online CSR communication. Managers of service companies can benefit from suggestions on how to use CSR content to sustain specific legitimacy strategies. Originality/value This study represents a starting point in connecting the ongoing debate on legitimacy theory with different rhetorical CSR approaches. It demonstrates that the seeking of legitimacy is to some extent restrained within the service industry.

Rethinking Bernstein communication wheel: A re-visitation of a communication tool

Purpose The aim of this conceptual paper is to review Bernstein’s communication wheel to make it a tool that can be used in the selection of a corporate communication mix. Design/methodology/approach A critical analysis of Bernstein’s communication wheel shows it to be a checklist, a starting point in the examination of corporate communication mix, but it is not as such of great help to the decision maker. Findings The findings of reviewing literature highlight that the principle of a clear distinction between strategic decisions and operational decisions is applicable also in the field of corporate communication. For each stakeholder relationship, the authors’ framework suggests typical combinations of activities and means to be used. These combinations are useful to experiment with expert systems which are functional to the choices of corporate communication mix. Practical implications The analysis of communication gaps gives directions for formulating strategic decisions. In this framework, tactical decisions concern the components of the communication mix architecture (or communication chain): activities, means and vehicles of communication. On the contrary, Bernstein’s communication wheel includes only generic channels (or media) and gives no indications as to the architecture of the communication mix. Originality/value This study illustrates the hierarchy of decisions relating to corporate communication mix, the communication wheel could also be useful in communication planning. If this assumption is held to be true it then becomes possible to lay out a framework for a progressive decision-making path that means making sequential choices (first strategic, then tactical). In the stakeholder approach, the aim of strategic decisions is to choose the stakeholder groups on which a firm has to focus its corporate communication activities.